Improving the Quality of Depression Treatment for Ethnic Racial Minorities

Investigators perform analyses that will provide mental health service providers findings relevant for assessing, treating, and retaining ethnic/racial minority patients in depression treatment.

Margarita Alegría, PhD received a two-year grant in December, 2006 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to enable investigators to perform analyses that will provide mental health service providers findings relevant for assessing, treating, and retaining ethnic/racial minority patients in depression treatment. This study was based on new data from the combined National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) and the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)(pooled, N = 14,146), one of the most comprehensive national data sources available that can be used to study depression treatment for ethnic minorities. Investigators also utilized recently collected qualitative data obtained from interviews with providers and ethnic minority patients with depression.

AIMS:

• Aim 1: To compare the quality of depression treatment that ethnic/racial minorities receive relative to what non-Latino whites receive
• Aim 2: To explore whether geographic factors play a role in explaining receipt of quality depression treatment, and whether these effects vary by ethnicity/race
• Aim 3: Using qualitative and quantitative data, to examine how depression treatment can be designed to be more responsive to ethnic/racial minority patient needs
• Aim 4: To address the economic and social costs of depression in ethnic/racial minority populations by estimating the effects of depression on labor market outcomes and public assistance receipt.

The analyses will inform the field regarding the quality of depression services received at the clinical level (e.g., guideline concordant care), the patient level (e.g. patient-centeredness), and the community level (e.g. availability of medical resources in community). This information will help policymakers make multi-tiered recommendations to address gaps in service provision for depression for minorities, and to generate concrete solutions for improving quality of care.